Piper Alderman’s Post

National EPA, changes to EPBC Act compliance powers and penalties, and a new Australian definition of 'nature positive' for the purposes of environmental reporting by Environment Information Australia. So much to unpack - see our update here, with special thanks to Kathryn Pacey, Melanie Debenham and Jasmine Wood

Reform is a constant in Australian environmental law. Here is our latest update on the second wave of reforms to Queensland's Environmental Protection Act, including new obligations relevant to all industry sectors and the elevation of a breach of the general environmental duty to an offence. Now is a good time to revisit existing risk management systems in light of these and other recent reforms! #environment #environmentalprotection #lawreform

Recent Australian Federal Government movements on repealing the EPBC Act, the creation of Federal EPA & one stop shop for environmental data. The present EPBC Act is expected to be repealed and replaced with legislation that: - Creates a new, independent, Environment Protection Agency with responsibility for assessing applications for approvals, administering approvals and compliance and enforcement; - Creates Environment Information Australia, which is responsible for managing environmental data;

There will be further opportunities to consult on key elements of the Nature Positive laws, with a delay announced this week. In this article, my colleagues highlight aspects of the reform package that are expected to be introduced in the coming weeks - laws to create a national, independent EPA and "Environment Information Australia", a body to house national environmental data.

Australia to Establish EPA as Part of Environmental Law Reforms In a move to bolster environmental protection measures, Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek announced the establishment of an Environment Protection Agency (EPA) as part of the Albanese government’s Nature Positive Plan. In tandem with the EPA establishment, the government will also launch a new body designed to enhance access to environmental data for businesses and has committed to expediting environmental approval decisions on projects through a $100-millionAUD investment. Read more: https://lnkd.in/emq9wZwT A Sustainable World is possible! 💚 Powered by Intengine #Sustainability #ASustainableWorld #Environmentallaw #EnvironmentProtection #EPA

Ben Swain (Special Counsel) considers the significant changes to the Protection of the Environment Operations Act 1997, which have recently introduced into NSW the strongest environmental laws in Australia. Read more https://lnkd.in/gssU9HiF If you found this insight article useful and you would like to subscribe to Gadens' updates, click here https://lnkd.in/gwqNGne #auslaw #environmentalcrime #pollutionoffences 

In this article, my colleagues and I report on legislation in Parliament to create Environment Protection Australia—an independent federal agency with expanded compliance and enforcement powers, and another new body, Environment Information Australia. For the first time, the EIA Bill defines 'nature positive' as an improvement in the diversity, abundance, resilience and integrity of ecosystems from a baseline. The Head of the EIA must determine a baseline for nature positive. The HEIA will report on whether, and to what extent, nature positive is being achieved in Australia. https://lnkd.in/gZyfgAms

🌿Nearly $100 million to speed up environmental approvals under the Nature Positive Plan🌿 We are progressing the second stage of our Nature Positive law reforms, which include establishing Environment Protection Australia. Environment Protection Australia – or EPA for short – will be Australia’s first, national independent environmental protection agency. EPA be responsible for regulatory activities under Australia’s environment law, including in relation to: 🧰 project assessments ♻️ recycling 🧫 hazardous waste 🦎 wildlife trafficking 🐟 sea dumping 🌎 ozone protection ⚓ underwater cultural heritage ⛅ air quality. Stage 2 of the Nature Positive reforms will also include: ✅ establishing the Head of Environment Information Australia – a new statutory position to provide reliable environmental data and information ✅ providing nearly $100 million to support for faster environmental approval decisions for projects. We will introduce new laws into Parliament in the coming weeks and will keep you informed as we continue to implement these important reforms. Find out more: https://brnw.ch/21wIQQE

🌿 News for Environmental Protection in NSW! 🌿 The NSW Parliament has recently passed a significant piece of legislation that will strengthen environmental protection regulations in the state. This new law grants councils in NSW more power to enforce compliance and penalise those who breach environmental regulations. This is a significant step forward in safeguarding our natural resources. The Environment Protection Legislation Amendment (Stronger Regulation and Penalties) Bill 2024 enables councils to issue fines for illegal dumping. The fines for companies can be up to $5,000, while individuals can be fined up to $1,000. Repeat offenders may face double the penalty amount, and those who engage in dumping in sensitive areas may face even more significant fines. As experts in natural resources economics and coastal economics, while we support these measures to enhance environmental stewardship, it is essential to ensure that regulatory decisions strike the right balance between environmental protection and economic considerations. #Env#EnvironmentalProtection #NSWRegulations #Sustainability #CoastalEconomics #NaturalResources #CostBenefitAnalysis #BGA

Very interested to see how these proposed reforms play out this year. If adopted, the new 'Nature Positive Laws' will replace the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999, and purport to improve the national environmental law. As is usually the case, the devil will be in the details, which are still to be worked out.